Day Five Script

Act 1

(It’s early morning on Day 7 of their trek. The sun is just rising
and the wind is blowing (Mountain Wind [sfx]) as the Screen
Message appears.)

Mt. Kilimanjaro TrekDaybreak on Day 7Arrival at the Summit (Finally!)Elevation 19,341 ft.

(MR. HARPER and the Channel 9 News Team begin to arrive
at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. From the rear of the auditorium,
wearing winter coats, hats, and gloves [goggles and
trekking poles, optional], ROB, with the video camera enters
first and proceeds down the right aisle toward the stage.
Being at such a high altitude, everyone is short of breath and
walks slower than normal.)

ROB: Hey, there it is! There’s the sign!! We made it!! We
actually climbed one of the tallest mountains in the
world!

(ROB reads the Uhuru Peak sign as he captures it on video.)

ROB: “CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE NOW AT
UHURU PEAK. TANZANIA. AFRICA’S HIGHEST
POINT.” Woo hoo!! (short pause) Man . . . I can SO
see why people do this. This is better than the World
Series, March Madness, and Super Bowl combined!
And the view is absolutely spectacular! (as he pans
around looking out at the horizon)

(Then ROB finds a log book and pen in a small box at the
base of the sign.)

ROB: There’s a log book. (as he opens it and quickly writes
his name)

KATHERINE: Sorry . . . not interested.

ROB: Really? You surprise me, Katherine. I thought for
sure you’d want everyone to know that Katherine Kent
made it to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

KATHERINE: You’re right. What was I thinking. Must be
the lack of oxygen.

ROB: Here you go. (as he hands KATHERINE the log book
and pen)

(KATHERINE writes a message in the log book and finishes it
with a flamboyant signature.)

ROB: Mind if I read it? (as he takes the log book from KATHERINE)

KATHERINE: No . . . go ahead . . . enjoy!

ROB: “Today, an exceptionally gifted, world-class, Emmy
award-winning news professional did what few, if any,
news anchors have ever done. She climbed the highest
free-standing mountain in the world and did so with
great poise . . . determination . . . and skill. Sorry you
missed it . . . signed, Katherine Kent, the one and only.”

KATHERINE: (with a confident smile) What do you think?
Pretty good, huh?

ROB: Well . . . to be honest, it sounds extremely arrogant
and boastful. (as he closes the log book and puts it back
in the box)

KATHERINE: Seriously? But, it’s not boasting, if it’s true!

ROB: No, it’s still boasting, all right. “
Let another man praise you and not your own mouth . . . .”

KATHERINE: Where’d you hear that?

ROB: It was in my Proverbs reading yesterday.

(Then STORM and MR. HARPER, also in winter gear, enter
from the rear of the auditorium and proceed slowly down
the right aisle toward the stage.)

KATHERINE: Proverbs, huh? Well . . . I like the first part,
at least—“Let another man praise you . . . ”

ROB: Here they come. (as he raises the camera to his
shoulder)

MR. HARPER: (to STORM) Polé, polé (pronounced “POlay”)

ROB: C’mon, Storm! You can do it! Remember . . . it’s for
all those kids back in Ohio!

STORM: Right . . . (he takes a breath) . . . the kids.

(Then STORM and MR. HARPER arrive at the stage, and ROB continues to video.)

STORM: Wheeuw! I can’t believe I did it! I just climbed my
first mountain. And you know what that makes me?

ROB: A mountain climber?

STORM: No! Exhausted!

(Everyone laughs, then ROB stops taping and lowers the
camera from his shoulder.)

MR. HARPER: Well, I just want to congratulate you all
for making it to the summit. Not everyone is able to do
it, so it’s really an accomplishment.

KATHERINE: Hey . . . what’d you expect? We’re Channel
9.

STORM: That’s right! We’re gooood! (to MR. HARPER) You
know, you were right. It is like Antartica up here.

ROB: You mean Ant-ARC-tica.

STORM: That’s what I said.

ROB: No . . . you said Ant-artica. You left out a c.

STORM: (as he gets in ROB’S face for a friendly squabble)
Listen, buster, if anyone knows how to say “ANTARTICA,”
it’s me. I’m the weatherman. You’re just the
sports guy. So stay on your side of the court!

ROB: (friendly push back) Oh, yeah?!

KATHERINE: Cool it, guys! You’re embarrassing yourselves.

MR. HARPER: All right, well . . . we shouldn’t stay at this
altitude too long . . . so, if you would, gather around
the sign for a group photo. Then we’ll pray and start
our descent. (as he pulls a small camera out of his coat
pocket)

(They all gather around the sign, and then MR. HARPER snaps a photo.)

STORM: Now a funny one.

MR. HARPER: Okay . . . one more.

(They all make funny faces for another group shot.)

KATHERINE: Now, I’d like a couple by myself.

MR. HARPER: Uh . . . all right.

(Then MR. HARPER photos two poses of KATHERINE around
the sign.)

ROB: (annoyed) Okay, Katherine. It’s time to go.

KATHERINE: One more.

(KATHERINE poses for one more shot.)

KATHERINE: (slightly frustrated) And I was just getting
warmed up. (to MR. HARPER) You can send those to my
agent. (as she gives him her business card)

MR. HARPER: (to KATHERINE) All right. (to the group)
Okay, everyone . . . now, I’m going to pray for our journey
down the mountain, but don’t close your eyes this
time. It’s not every day that you get to see God’s handiwork
from such an incredible vantage point. (then he
prays) Dear God . . . what an awesome experience it has
been to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and now to be standing
at the top. Thank you for eyes that can see, legs that can
walk, and air to breath. Forgive us when we take these
things for granted. And now we pray for a safe journey
down the mountain. In Jesus’s name, amen.

ROB: Amen!

MR. HARPER: Okay, we’ll be taking a much faster route
going down than we did coming up. So, follow me.

(MR. HARPER leads the group up the left aisle toward the
rear of the auditorium. ROB and STORM bring up the rear.)

STORM: (to ROB) Don’t you wish they had a giant slide
from here to the bottom? That would be so slick! Get
it? Slick?

(Theme music)

Act 2

(It’s the last evening at Camp Kilimanjaro, and ROB and
STORM are sitting at the closing campfire roasting marshmallows.
Then TERRIE enters with a couple more folding
chairs. NOTE: You can greatly enhance the evening campfire
scene by placing lanterns with battery-powered candle lights
on the floor and in various places—the more the better!) )

TERRIE: Good . . . so you found the marshmallows and
skewers. (as she sets the additional chairs in place)

STORM: (with his mouth full of marshmallow) Did we ever!
Thanks! I LOVE marshmallows!

MR. HARPER: Okay . . . well, here we are at our closing
campfire. I can’t believe how fast our time has gone.
But, before we get started, I’d just like to say how much
we’ve enjoyed having you as our guests. It truly has
been a delight to serve you.

TERRIE: Yes. We’ll be so sorry to see you leave in the
morning.

STORM: Aw-shucks . . . now you’re making us blush.

ROB: And we want to thank YOU for giving us such a
first class experience. I think we all agree that Camp
Kilimanjaro gets five stars!

(KATHERINE, not so sure about five stars, holds up four fingers.)

TERRIE: Well, thank you.

MR. HARPER: Yes, we appreciate those kind words. We
really do. Okay . . . well . . . this afternoon I asked each
of you to come prepared to share something about
your time here . . . something you learned . . . a favorite
memory . . . anything, really. So . . . who would like to
go first? (short pause) Katherine?

KATHERINE: All right . . . (as she stands up to share) Well,
as it turned out, I didn’t have much time to think
because of a crisis this afternoon.

MR. HARPER: (genuinely concerned) Oh, no.

KATHERINE: But don’t worry . . . everything’s fine now.
You know . . . you never think it’s going to happen to
you; and then you find, not just one, but TWO hangnails!

STORM: (teasing) Oh dear! Not a hangnail crisis!

KATHERINE: (noting his sarcasm) Well, of course, being a
man, you wouldn’t understand how serious a hangnail
can be for a woman’s delicate hands.

ROB: (sarcastic) And especially a celebrity woman like
you.

KATHERINE: I know . . . my thoughts exactly. But,
anyway . . . about my time here . . . it pleased me how
I was able to handle every situation with confidence
and poise. You see . . . I’ve never traveled internationally
before, so, naturally, I didn’t know what to expect.
I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true. So . . . (short pause as she thinks) . . . I guess the one thing that I’ll
take from this experience . . . is the discovery that I’m
even more amazing than I thought. (then she sits down)

STORM: I’ll go. (as he stands holding a piece a paper) I
wrote some things down, but then I thought it would
be more interesting if I made it into a poem. So, for
your listening pleasure, I would like to read, "My Trip
to Africa," by America’s Weatherman, Storm Weathers.
(To print a copy, see Resource DVD-ROM)

We decided to take a station break . . . and fly to Tanzania
for charity’s sake.

I’d never been to Africa before . . . all I knew about were
the animals galore.

But it’s more than just a safari destination . . . it’s a land
of people, tribes, and nations.

I did some things I didn’t think I could do . . . like climb
a mountain and eat warthog sausage goo. SORRY, BUT
OATMEAL DIDN’T RHYME.

I even learned to speak some Swahili . . . like jambo and
rafiki . . . and . . . jambo and rafiki.

The barometer rose as high pressure built in, and Rob
was almost eaten when he went for a swim.

We found a footprint big as can be . . . and wondered if
Bigfoot was running free . . . which would have helped
our documentar-ee.

If I ever return to Africa someday . . . I want to be with
my friends and stay at Camp K!

(STORM bows as everyone claps and compliments him.)

MR. HARPER: Thanks for sharing that. Okay . . . Rob?

ROB: All right, well I made a long list (as he unfolds a long
piece of paper) but we’re sure to go into extra innings if
I read the whole thing; so, instead, I’ll just share my top
two. Of course, standing on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro was
absolutely incredible . . . an experience of a lifetime,
really. But . . . far more important is that my faith in
God has been recharged by being at this camp. And . . .
well . . . I can never thank you enough for that.

MR. HARPER: Wow . . . that really blesses me to hear
that. God is so good. And if there’s anything else we
can do to help you—anything at all—please let us
know.

ROB: I will.

MR. HARPER: Well, thank you, everyone. (transition
pause) Okay, well, that leads me into my last devotion.
And like the others, this is one I hope you’ll really take
to heart. The Bible verse is Proverbs 13:20 . . . "He who
walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion
of fools will be destroyed." I think that’s fairly easy to
understand. Who you choose to hang around with
will eventually affect your character. You’ve heard the
phrase, “You are what you eat,” right? Well, what does
it mean?

(STORM continues to eat marshmallows.)

ROB: (while looking at STORM) It means that if you want
to be healthy, you'd better be careful about what you
put into your body.

STORM: (to ROB, with a marshmallow in his mouth) Why
are you looking at me?

MR. HARPER: That’s right. And the same principle
applies to friends. If you want to be wise, walk with the
wise. In other words . . . choose your friends carefully,
because we tend to become like they are. A perfect
example is an employee who used to work here. His
name was Jimmy, and he was one of our best workers,
wasn’t he, Terrie?

TERRIE: Yes, and such a nice young man.

MR. HARPER: That is, until he got in with the wrong
crowd. Then, after some time passed, his attitude
changed, and his work suffered. I talked to him about
it many times, but he wouldn’t listen. So, eventually,
I had to let him go. He started strong, but because of
some unwise choices, I’m not sure he’s going to finish
well. And God wants us to finish well.

(Then JIMMY steps out from behind a tree with Rob’s backpack
slung over his shoulder.)

JIMMY: I do want to finish well, Mr Harper.

TERRIE: Jimmy?!

MR. HARPER: Jimmy! What are you doing here?! (as he
stands up)

JIMMY: I’ve been standing behind a tree the whole time,
listening to everyone. And, well . . . I figured it was my
turn to share.

MR. HARPER: Really? What do you want to say?

JIMMY: Well . . . I just want to apologize for all the trouble
I’ve caused, lately.

MR. HARPER: Lately? But, you haven’t worked here since
last season.

JIMMY: No, you see . . . it’s about the footprint.

MR. HARPER: Footprint?

TERRIE: YOU were the Bigfoot? But, why?

JIMMY: Because I was angry when you fired me. And
then my friends talked me into getting back at you by
scaring all your guests away and ruining your business.
I’m really sorry. Will you forgive me?

MR. HARPER: Of course we forgive you. But, why are
you telling us this?

JIMMY: Because, I’ve been changed too. You see, I’m also
the one who stole the backpack. (as he takes the backpack
and hands it to ROB)

ROB: So that’s what happened to it.

JIMMY: Yeah . . . and it had a little book of Proverbs in it
(as he pulls the Proverbs book out of his pocket)—which
I ended up reading cover to cover. And it scared me
when I read about the wicked and the foolish, because
it was describing me! Mr. Harper . . . I don’t want to be
that way anymore.

MR. HARPER: Have you talked to God about it?

JIMMY: Yes. I remembered what you used to say about
becoming a child of God . . . and so I prayed and asked
God to forgive me . . . and then I told Him I believed
that Jesus paid the penalty for all the wrong things I’ve
done.

MR. HARPER: So, you’re in God’s family now?

JIMMY: Yes, sir. I believe I am.

MR. HARPER: Wow! I’m speechless.

TERRIE: Oh, Jimmy! That’s wonderful!

(JIMMY starts to hand the Proverbs book to ROB, but ROB refuses.)

ROB: That’s okay. You keep it.

JIMMY: Thanks. (short pause) May I sit with you guys?

MR. HARPER: Absolutely! Sit in my chair.

(MR. HARPER gives JIMMY his chair.)

ROB: Well, I have to admit I’m kinda disappointed that
the footprint was just a hoax. It would have made a
great story.

STORM: And Channel 5 would have been SO jealous!

KATHERINE: Well . . . you all may have been fooled, but
I certainly wasn’t. I knew it was a hoax all the time. Bigfoot
is just a silly legend.

(Then a Bigfoot Howl [sfx] is heard. Everyone is startled, then
they look at JIMMY. He gives a puzzled look before the lights
go to black.)